CAMPING
Updated
Ticks 2012
Out for blood
Ticks are ubiquitous tiny terrors whose itchy
bites can carry disease
BUDDY GOUGH
SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Ticked-off is the way to go outdoors in
In
Foster noted that
The refugees were carriers of the disease pathogen, which was soon spread when
local ticks first snacked on them and then moved on to other hosts.
Although the
“I think we have quite a few cases each year [that] don’t get reported other
than to local physicians,” Foster said.
He also noted that
BLOOD OF
Whatever the species, the life-cycle of ticks proceeds
from larva to nymph to adult, with a blood meal being
required to advance from one stage to the other.
Tick larvae are virtually invisible to the naked eye, but they can really make
you itch and can infest a body in numbers to create a rash. They can deal the
same discomfort as the parasitical mites known as chiggers.
Tick nymphs are more visible, but of a size that they are
often referred to as “seed ticks” for their resemblance to small plant seeds.
They can also cluster together to attack passing hosts in bunches.
Much more can be said about ticks and their threats, but nearly everyone who
has spent any appreciable time in the outdoors heeds the old adage — once
bitten, twice shy.
In other words, they recognize the nature of the beasts and practice avoidance.
Summer’s hitchhiker – the tick
In
Diseases such as:
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsia rickettsii)–A bacterial disease whose symptoms include a
sudden onset of fever, headache and muscle pain followed by development of a
rash or “spots.”
Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)–An infectious bacterial disease that causes
fevers, chills, gland swelling and ulceration in the area of the tick bite.
Ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia)–A
bacterial infection whose early stages resemble the flu followed by joint pain,
headaches and possibly nausea.
Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi)–Rare in
Preventing bites:
Walk on trails to avoid dense grass or high weeds.
Wear light-colored clothing to make ticks easier to spot.
Tuck pants into socks and boots and wear long-sleeved shirts.
Use tick repellent and check your body every four to six hours.
SOURCES: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Arkansas Department
of Health.
He got tick-borne
disease and lived to tell about it
— Buddy Gough
During a lifetime spent in the outdoors, ticks have dealt me
more misery than anything else — by far.
Mosquitoes, wasps and fire ants, itchy poison ivy, blazing sun and drenching,
terrifying thunderstorms — all have been lesser evils than what ticks have done
to me during the warmer months of the year.
Despite all my precautions, the blood-sucking parasites have gotten through my
defenses time after time to deal discomfort as well as one unforgettable,
long-term bout with a tick-borne disease that went undiagnosed for more than
six months.
Like most tick diseases, it started with what seemed like a bout of flu involving
fever, chills and joint pain. My joint pain persisted, and a second flu episode
occurred three months later and hit again a third time after
several more months.
A more debilitating symptom, however, was increasing fatigue and lethargy. I
was able to be up and functional only about eight hours a day.
I attributed it to advancing age. Felt like 60 going on 80.
During the third go round of “flu” my doctor asked the key question: “Have you
been exposed to any tick bites?”
After several weeks of taking oral antibiotics, I felt like a totally new man.
Since then, I’ve met other victims of tick diseases who had similar symptoms,
some of them much worse. So my advice? If you come
down with a summer case of “flu,” and you’ve had contact with a tick, tell your
doctor.
SIMILAR SYMPTOMS
In
Foster noted that
The refugees were carriers of the disease pathogen, which was soon spread when
local ticks first snacked on them and then moved on to other hosts.
Although the
“I think we have quite a few cases each year [that] don’t get reported other
than to local physicians,” Foster said.
He also noted that
All these diseases display similar symptoms within a few days to a few weeks of
an infectious bite. “They are all pretty similar for having flulike
symptoms of fever, chills and joint pain,” Foster said.
Over time, the diseases can cause prolonged joint
pain, lethargy, weakness and even partial paralysis.
In the case of tularemia, the infection can affect the lymphatic system or lead
to a type of pneumonia that can be fatal for a relatively high number of
victims.
If properly diagnosed, tick diseases can be
effectively treated with antibiotics, either intravenously in severe cases or
orally over a period of weeks.
Although much has been written about Lyme disease,
which often starts with a characteristic “bull’s-eye” rash and can lead to
paralysis, it has not been identified as a significant threat in
That does not mean Arkansans have not contracted Lyme
disease or never could. But Arkansans are more likely to be infected with ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever or tularemia
transmitted by common native tick species.
Jeff Barnes, curator of the department of entomology insect collection at the
Barnes said, “The Lone Star tick is easily identified by the white spot on its
back; its bite is also more irritating because of its large mouth parts.”
Updated
Go to home page for links to states Back to home page
(
for
Tick Borne
Diseases
Tularemia
Tularemia
is a disease of animals and humans caused by the bacterium Francisella
tularensis. Rabbits, hares, and rodents are especially susceptible and
often die in large numbers during outbreaks. Humans can become infected through
several routes, including:
In
addition, humans could be exposed as a result of bioterrorism.
Symptoms vary depending
upon the route of infection. Although tularemia can be life-threatening, most
infections can be treated
successfully with antibiotics.
Steps
to prevent tularemia
include:
In
the United States, naturally occurring infections have been reported from all
states except Hawaii.
Tularemia
can be difficult to diagnose. It is a rare disease, and the symptoms can be
mistaken for other more common illnesses. For this reason, it is important to
share with your health care provider any likely exposures, such as tick and
deer fly bites, or contact with sick or dead animals. Blood tests and cultures
can help confirm the diagnosis. Antibiotics used to treat tularemia include
streptomycin, gentamicin, doxycycline, and ciprofloxacin. Treatment usually
lasts 10 to 21 days depending on the stage of illness and the medication used.
Although symptoms may last for several weeks, most patients completely recover.
Lyme
disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through
the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever,
headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If
left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous
system. Lyme disease is diagnosed
based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., rash), and the possibility of
exposure to infected ticks; laboratory testing is helpful if used correctly and
performed with validated methods. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully
with a few weeks of antibiotics. Steps to prevent Lyme disease include using
insect repellent, removing ticks promptly, applying pesticides, and reducing
tick habitat.
Other Tick-borne Spotted
Fever Rickettsial Infections
In addition to Rickettsia rickettsii, the agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF),
several other tick-borne species of Rickettsia, broadly grouped under
the heading "Spotted Fever group Rickettsia (SFGR)" have
been shown to cause human infections. Tick-borne SFGR are transmitted to humans
by the bite of an infected tick, and may cause similar signs and
symptoms to those observed for RMSF. These pathogens include several
species of Rickettsia found in the United States, including R.
parkeri and Rickettsia species 364D.
|
Species |
Tick
Vector |
Geographic
Distribution |
Clinical
Symptoms |
|
Rickettsia parkeri |
Amblyomma
maculatum ( |
Eastern and southern |
Fever, headache, eschar(s), variable rash |
|
Rickettsia species 364D |
Dermacentor
occidentalis ( |
|
Fever, eschar(s) |
.
Ehrlichiosis is the general name used to describe several bacterial
diseases that affect animals and humans. Human ehrlichiosisis a disease caused
by at least three different ehrlichial species in the United States: Ehrlichia
chaffeensis, Ehrlichia ewingii, and a third Ehrlichia
species provisionally called Ehrlichia muris-like (
Older
info from 2003:
Tick
Fever:
Lymes and HGE (human ehrlichiosis) (HGE is more common than previously believed and can be
disabling or fatal)
HGE does not
cause the bulls eye rash normally seen with Lymes. Authorities caution to treat for HgE
while awaiting blood test results, especially is no
bulls eye rash.
The following is from several sources and
covers both humans and dogs:
Ehrlichiosis
Hot off the press from CDC 4-2002
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol8no4/01-0222.htm
There has been
at least one confirmed case in Sharp County Arkansas(Baptist Northeast
Regional) and one in Northern Mississippi that I know of) (he died)
FROM VARIOUS
PUBLICATIONS:
These are
classified as emerging diseases, since they have only recently been recognized.
Human ehrlichiosis (HE) was first identified in 1986
and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) in 1993. Over 400 cases of HE (nine fatal) have been
reported from 30 of the 50 US states, primarily in the southeastern and south-central
portions of the country. HGE occurs more frequently
further north. As of early 1996, fewer than 100 confirmed cases of HGE had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. Of these, four were fatal. As with any other
tick-borne illness (TBI), American examples are used
only because they were conveniently available when this was written. TBIs are no respecters of international borders.
Two members of the Erlichiae family of
bacteria are known to cause illness in humans. The majority of the Erlichiae family are
veterinary pathogens.
The signs and symptoms of both types of human ehrlichiosis
are identical, including fever, a headache that will not respond to normal
analgesic treatment, malaise (feeling poorly), muscle aches, chills, sweating,
nausea, and vomiting. Less often, patients will also have other symptoms, such
as cough, joint pain, confusion, and a rash. The rash can occur anywhere on the
body, and is not necessarily associated with the tick bite site. The symptomology can also mimic leukemia, particularly in the HGE form of the disease. Elderly patients (more than 60
years old) are more likely to develop severe infections, and account for the
majority of deaths associated with ehrlichiosis.
However, serious complications can develop in any age group.
Many of these symptoms are shared with Lyme disease,
so misdiagnosis is possible. Unfortunately, ehrlichiosis
responds to a far narrower range of antibiotics that Lyme
disease does, so treatment with the wrong medication is also possible. Doxycycline is the preferred antibiotic.
The most commonly affected body systems are the liver, spleen, bone marrow, and
lymph nodes.
Treatment should not be delayed while awaiting laboratory results. Waiting only
makes a serious, possibly fatal, infection more likely. If a patient is being
treated for Lyme disease, and HE or HGE without Lyme disease is the
final diagnosis, the medications being used can always be changed, if
necessary. After appropriate treatment begins, the fever normally abates within
24-48 hours. However, the complete course of treatment is quite a bit longer..
(Taken from The Wall Street Journal -
A new hazard is joining sand traps and ponds on the nation's golf courses.
The hazard is a little-known disease borne by ticks, and it threatens not only golfers but almost anyone else who ventures into the woods, especially in the South. The disease is the second obscure tick-borne illness to grab the attention of epidemic experts in the last several months.
Researchers at
Golfers who searched for errant balls off the fairway into the woods were almost four times more likely to show evidence of past infection with the potentially fatal disease than those who played new balls.
Perhaps more seriously, the same scientists
reported that the little-known disease might be more common than previously
realized. Only about 400 cases of the flu-like ehrlichiosis
have been confirmed nation-wide since the ailment was identified in 1987. But
12.5% of the 3,000 retirees in the
Eleven of these residents developed full-blown cases of the disease, and several required long hospital stays. This rate of illness was 200 times higher than in previous studies, Dr. Schaffner's team reports.
"My guess is that this is more common than Lyme disease in the southern
ehrlichiosis is easy to misdiagnose, because its initial symptoms - fever, headache, and nausea - resemble many other maladies, including Lyme disease. Unlike Lyme disease, though, it almost never causes skin rash. If untreated, the disease often rapidly worsens, and can cause kidney and respiratory failure. Moreover, the ailment responds to only one of several antibiotics that are used for treating Lyme disease - so a misdiagnosis could have serious consequences.
Human ehrlichiosis
isn't the only new tick scourge golfers and hikers have to worry about. A
sister disease, human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, was
identified last year. It garnered headlines in recent months after causing
outbreaks - and a few deaths - in the upper
West Coast residents aren't off the hook,
either. Earlier this year, another team of researchers verified that four
Virginia Tech Entomology Department
Comments to: VT Entomology
Last updated:
http://everest.ento.vt.edu/
INFORMATION FOR CONSUMERS
The following consumer information is
provided by Sandra Woods, D.V.M.,
Division of Drugs for Non-Food Animals, Center for Veterinary Medicine
INFORMATION ON PREVALENT TICK-BORNE DISEASES
Among the many tick-borne diseases which are
transmitted to man and animals, three stand out as most prevalent. Each of
these diseases occurs seasonally in the
The following symptoms for each disease are common to humans and animals with minor exceptions. For example, a rash is not easily found in animals.
Rocky Mountain Spotted
Fever
This disease is caused by Rickettsia
rickettsii, a microorganism which is usually transmitted
by Ixodidae (hard ticks). The
species most commonly involved are Dermacentor
andersoni (wood tick), Dermacentor
variabilis (dog tick), and Amblyomma
americanum (Lone-Star tick of the southern
Man, dogs and cats, farm animals, and wildlife species are affected. People should examine themselves and their pets for ticks after each trip outside. The onset of symptoms may be abrupt. Common symptoms are fever, chills, severe headaches, muscle pains, and a rash.
The mortality rate for Rocky Mountain spotted fever is less than 10 percent if an antibiotic is started promptly. Some patients may require supportive therapies, such as intravenous fluids, steroids, and nasogastric feedings. Improvement should be rapid (36 to 48 hours). The exact treatment should be determined by the animal's veterinarian or, in the case of a human, a personal physician.
Tick Paralysis
This disease is most commonly caused by female hard ticks of the Dermacentor species. Both man and animal may be affected; the animals most affected are dogs, cattle, and sheep.
A flaccid paralysis progresses from the back to the front of the affected animal and is due to a toxin injected when the ticks feed. Paralysis is most likely to occur from prolonged feeding and bites located along the spine, neck, or head in people as well as animals.
Symptoms include anorexia, lethargy, muscle weakness, lack of coordination, and nystagmus (involuntary, rapid movement of the eyeball).
Bite sites should be cleansed with soap and water. If bare hands are used to remove the tick, care must be taken to avoid squeezing as this may inject more toxin. Hands should be washed immediately after disposing of the tick. If the bite wounds are inflamed or look infected, an antibiotic and steroid ointment can be applied. It's a good idea to consult a veterinarian on the proper way to remove and dispose of ticks on pets. Never use a lit cigarette or matches to disengage the tick because of the obvious danger of a serious burn to the animal.
If respiratory or cardiac arrest has not occurred, removal of the tick(s) usually leads to rapid and complete recovery.
Lyme Disease
This disease, named after the small town of
The ticks that transmit this disease are very small, the size of sesame seeds as adults, and in
approximately 30 percent of the confirmed cases, no tick bites can be
documented.
Symptoms include a bull's-eye rash in about 70 percent of human patients,
malaise, fatigue, joint pains, neurological signs, cardiac abnormalities, and
arthritis. Patients develop antibody titers to the disease, but a single test
is difficult to interpret. Rising titers with clinical signs indicate infection
and should be treated with systemic antibiotics for 10 days or longer.
Both the veterinarian and family physician should be notified if either a member of the family or a pet develops symptoms after visiting an area where ticks may live. Most patients recover if they receive prompt treatment. A small percentage of cases require prolonged treatment for recovery, or fail to respond.
In conclusion, the symptoms of these three tick-borne diseases can be easily confused; therefore, both veterinarians and physicians need to carefully investigate all patients with vague flu-like symptoms. With a few simple precautions, people and pets should be able to enjoy outside activities and be protected against tick-borne diseases.
People
1. Use a good tick repellent before
participating in outside activities.
2. If possible, avoid areas with heavy brush, low-hanging tree limbs or long
grass.
3. After returning home, remove all clothing worn outside and launder in hot
water and soap.
4. Examine yourself carefully after all outside activities.
5. Treat your home environment (inside and outside) at regular intervals during
the tick season to reduce the tick population.
Total elimination of ticks is unlikely due to natural reservoirs such as mice,
birds, deer, and other wildlife.
6. Cut the grass around your house and remove brush and low tree limbs to
decrease tick habitat and wildlife use of your property.
Animals
1. Have your veterinarian set up your tick
control plan.
2. Use flea and tick sprays as directed to avoid overdosing.
3. Rotate flea products based on active ingredients rather than brand names to
prevent resistance.
4. Examine pets for ticks after each outing and remove ticks as directed by
your veterinarian.